Baroque squares beneath the Alps

Turin was the seat of the House of Savoy and, from 1861 to 1865, the first capital of a united Italy, and it still carries itself accordingly. The streets run in a strict grid inherited from the Roman camp, the squares are large and symmetrical, and 18 kilometres of porticoes let you walk the centre under cover. On clear days the Alps stand in a white arc beyond the rooftops.

The city made its second fortune from cars, and the industrial century left as much character as the royal one. The Lingotto factory, where finished cars were driven up to a test track on the roof, is now a gallery, a shopping arcade and a rooftop garden. Along the Po, rowing clubs and the long green stretch of the Parco del Valentino give the city room to breathe.

Turin also takes its pleasures seriously. The gianduiotto, chocolate blended with Piedmont hazelnuts, was created here, as was vermouth, and the early-evening aperitivo follows naturally. The cafés around Piazza San Carlo and Piazza Castello have kept their mirrors, marble and wood panelling since the nineteenth century, and a bicerin, a small glass of coffee, chocolate and cream, is the local way to spend half an hour.